Via Deadspin, The Smoking Gun has some unsealed documents from the federal case against alleged game-fixer Tim Donaghy. How did the disgraced ref fix games? It's a question we've all pondered. Investigators chalk up the method to his subconscious mind. While federal investigators found no evidence that disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy "intentionally" made bad calls in games in which he had a betting interest, the convicted felon said that "his personal interest might have subconsciously affected his on-court performance," according to federal prosecutors.Two games are mentioned in the document: a Wizards-Grizzlies game in 2006, in which Donaghy changed his "bet" based on some pre-game injuries he was made aware of by an NBA scorekeeper, and a game in that same month between the Celtics and 76ers.
Cursory analysis of those games, with the consideration that most observers agree the most effective way for a ref to impact who wins is on foul calls (call more for the team you pick): Boston took way more FTAs than usual in their Donaghy game, Washington took far fewer than typical in their win. It's unclear just how effective Donaghy's subconscious was.
